Holiday parks around Australia are splashing out with bigger and better water playgrounds. Here are the best of the best for this summer.
There’s something about a water park that never fails to make people happy. Spraying water at each other, whizzing down huge slides, the inevitable sunburn that comes with hours outside… Ok, maybe there’s one thing about water parks that fails to make people happy (stay sun-safe, people). But, once you’ve ‘screened up, these top-notch caravan-park-based water parks, are a guaranteed recipe for good times.
In February 2020, BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park opened its very own water park, recognised as the tallest play structure in any holiday park in the Southern Hemisphere!
Its water slides are up to 10 metres tall, the mother of all tipping buckets holds a literal tonne of water, and four enclosed slides come complete with an iridescent internal light show. In total it has 40 interactive play features with a combined slide length of 317 metres, including a multi-lane body slide – all zoned into smaller play areas to suit kids of all ages and stages.
No doubt about it: this one is destined to be a hit with the kiddies and with such a splash-tastic setup, there is sure to be a line out the door (or around the pool!)
This is a park where you couldn’t possibly get bored. The water park’s dual water slides, giant tipping bucket and waterplay fountains promise to keep the kids cool, while parents can relax at the nearby on-site café. Other must-do experiences include a bike track, archery and even a nine-hole golf course. And, for even more watery fun, the surf breaks of Arrawarra Beach are on the doorstep.
Reminiscent of the surrounding landscape, known as Australia’s ‘Green Cauldron’, the water park at BIG4 Tweed Billabong Holiday Park takes visitors on a tour of the area. A volcanic-looking rocky mound is the first of three zones in the water park, representing towering Wollumbin (Mount Warning). This section has the largest slides in the park. The second section has a giant tipping bucket and is themed around the rocks of Fingal Head, while the toddler play section boasts a froggy slide, and celebrates the marine life around Cook Island. This quirky design makes a day spent splashing on the slides akin to mountaineering adventure … well, almost.
The water park at Discovery Parks – Barossa Valley is up there with the best. It’s got three water slides, a huge tipping bucket and numerous splash zones, one of which is powered by a model horse spraying water from its nose – what more could you want? And it’s available even if you aren’t staying in the park – just book a day pass to cool down in between adventures.
Discovery Parks – Barossa Valley was voted in our best holiday parks in South Australia
With aquatic play equipment and a tipping bucket, the splash pad at Holiday Haven Currarong is boatloads of fun. It’s fenced in, so parents with little ones can feel at ease. Between that and the jumping pillow, we don’t think the kids will ever want to leave the park, but on the off chance you do decide to head out, Currarong Beach and Currarong Creek are only a short stroll, with kayaks available to hire at reception if you’re keen on more H20. adventures
If it’s quantity you’re after, it’s hard to beat BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort’s 13 epic water slides. The water park takes up the area of an Olympic pool, with bridges and stairs linking the slides for maximum exploration potential. Add on a 32-metre swimming pool, tipping buckets, fountains, jets and a colour-coded range of giant or mini slides that cascade from a two-metre platform, plus a whole host of activities out of the water, and you’re looking at days of fun without leaving the park.
More than a million dollars has been invested in the construction of a new 500-square-metre water park at this Moama holiday park. Each of the colourful features has been designed to look like a paddle steamer, well-known to the Murray River area. Travellers set sail on the PS James Maiden, where they can fly down three different slides, get soaked by a massive tipping bucket or dance through numerous spray zones. Perfect for families with children ages zero to 12, the water wonderland continues to thrill little tadpoles.
Maidens Inn also has a swimming pool, tennis court, playground, barbecue facility, boat ramp and kiosk. If you can drag your kids away from all the water play, it’s also worth exploring the historic port of nearby Echuca, finding some treasures at the local markets or trying one of the stylish eateries in town. And if dad wants a mini escape, he can cruise over to the National Holden Motor Museum, the largest car museum of its kind in Australia.
The 500-square-metre Barrel Water Park is the highlight of a $3 million makeover at Discovery Parks – Byron Bay. Among Australia’s biggest, this splashtacular water park boasts some serious drawcards: a giant tipping bucket, water slides, a pool area, a range of fountains, water spouts and a jumping pillow. A nearby lagoon pool is perfect for little ones just learning to swim and the sunny Byron Bay weather creates the ideal setting for a summer barbie.
Exploring the local town keeps you entertained with a raft of backpackers, surfers, hippies, artists and Gap Year corporates congregating at stylish cafes and shimmering beaches. Escape to the scenic hinterland or hit the surf where kids can have a splash and build giant sandcastles. Eateries offer trendy outdoor zones where youngsters are encouraged to have tasty babyccinos and appreciate the colour of the waiter’s latest tattoo. The vibe continues at the holiday park, which is just two kilometres from the Byron Bay town centre.
Ahoy matey! Monty’s Island Oasis, an all-season indoor splash park located at this Narooma hotspot, has been an aquatic hit since it opened in 2018. Every feature of the H.M.S Waterplay has a nautical theme, from the 30-gallon tipping bucket and 1.8-metre-wide slide to the numerous splash canons with 360-degree mobility. A $15 entry fee gives you access to every soak-filled feature, including a seven-by-seven-metre Spa Pool for the more seasoned sailors wanting to escape the splash zone for some well-deserved R&R.
Opened in 2018, this $1.6 million investment by Discovery Parks is a welcome addition to the activities already available at their ‘Rocky’ site. With a tennis court, kids’ club, playground and bouncing pillow, the water park is just one of many activities designed to keep even the most energetic littlies busy. Three slides, a dump bucket and a dedicated area for the tiny tots make this water park an essential stopover.
Some resorts just have it all, and Coolwaters is one of those. The colourful mix of thrilling slides and water spouts is an added bonus to a holiday park that already offers a resort-style pool, BMX tracks, kayaking and bushwalking, so expect an action-packed holiday here. The massive splash-happy park includes a child-friendly playground full of interactive water features, two slides and a separate area with two larger slides for older kids.
Boasting 500 metres of absolute beach frontage, Tathra Beachside is just spoiling guests with aquatic adventures with the addition of its Big Splash water park. Located in a lagoon-like pool, the park’s bright neon slides, splash pool and massive tipping bucket promise to soak any and all water babies on site. Open year-round, day visitors pay $10 to access the site’s three slides, while kids under two years enter for free.
A favourite among HWK readers, BIG4 Ingenia Holidays Cairns Coconut serves up wet-and-wild fun in droves.
Between the massive water dumping, spraying and sliding kids’ water park, dual water slides – more than 30 metres in total length – and the park’s two pools, you and the kids are likely to be all watered out. The slides and water spouts are decorated with vibrant murals, bringing the corals and colours of the reef. The Sun Lagoon Pool includes even more slides to splash your way through and on-site offerings include Australia’s first entirely interactive playground, an 18-hole mini-golf course and beach volleyball.
But you’ll have to hold strong because the Great Barrier Reef is on your doorstep, where snorkelling and swimming opportunities abound.
With such an awesome pool complex, it’ll be difficult to pry the kids away from this holiday park for off-site activities. Boasting a 35-metre water slide running directly into the park’s pool, little ones will be in H20 heaven here. If you do manage to drag the kids away, you’re just a hop, skip and a jump from the mother of all water parks: Wet’n’Wild Gold Coast. Stay in or head out: the choice is yours, but either way your little mermaids and mermen are guaranteed a splashing good time.
This article on the best water parks at caravan parks originally appeared in Caravan & Camping with Kids magazine. To subscribe to the latest issue, click here.
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does port elliot in SA have a water park ???
your site suggests it does but the parkswebsite doesnt show this
could you clarify this
Hi David, Thanks for your comment! Port Elliot Holiday Park does not have a water park, it has a beachfront location. It is under the heading ‘Bonus: 3 great beachfront holiday parks’. Happy Holidays!